Gary Dizon from Rancid Polecats helps review Morningbell's new CD
By Julie Garisto
Published July 1, 2007
Through the Belly of the Sea
Melodic, sometimes spacey and always infectiously poppy, Gainesville's Morningbell released its third album in June. Members Eric and Travis Atria and Stacie Thrushman spent several months in the studio, creating an air of anticipation around the CD's mysterious concept. The result: a soundtrack to a choose-your-own-adventure sea tale with colorful and narrative instructions on how to tailor the sequence of events.
This week's collaborator
Gary Dizon, vocalist and guitarist for longtime Tampa band, Rancid Polecats, tell us what he thinks while listening to the CD for the first time.
Gary: The first thing I noticed with this track is that everything is really clear; everything is placed nicely in the mix. It's real instrument sounds versus something affected. I also like the purity of Travis Atria's voice.
Julie: He's got a classic pop, pleasant-sounding voice in the sense of what you might hear in a '60s tune, in the vein of the Beatles or Beach Boys. It's real singing. There's a sentimental quality to the choruses, a lilt in Travis' vocal, that gives me butterflies.
Gary: There are weird harmonic movements going on with the instruments. It's cool because this album has the choose-your-own-adventure theme, and the music moves you through it. This is pretty cinematic. ... I could imagine it being a soundtrack for silent movies.
Julie: So, you're saying it's got a time-before-rock feeling to it, something antiquated, old-fashioned?
Gary: Yeah. Remember when Smashing Pumpkins came out with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness? Remember the black-and-white film loops in the video? It reminds me of that a little. It's also Pink Floyd-ish in a way. They don't overdo the sound effects. Sometimes with Pink Floyd, like in Animals, it's too much.
Julie: I agree. They don't sacrifice their appeal to be impressive artistically.
Gary: It's mastered really nicely. Whoever mastered these tracks really knew what they were doing. (Reading liner notes) Produced by Morningbell - the band did it themselves. So they have a sensibility of what they want. ... I like the counterpoints with the vocals. They took a long time and consideration for stereo placement. Some of the parts sound like they're moving from one speaker to the next. Some albums don't move anywhere - it's sad. ... Their style reminds me of the Flaming Lips. But I also hear some Beatles, too - mostly the Paul stuff, musically anyway.
Julie: You've never read press on Morningbell, right? It's funny 'cause Beatles and Flaming Lips are the two bands that get referenced most often.
Gary: This song (Faster Than Eagles) could be played on the radio really easily.
Julie: It's energetic and catchy but not wimpy. You'd think that pop this pretty would run the risk of being too namby-pamby, but it's not.
Gary: It's forceful but not abrasive. And not to the point of being like a boy band.
What is this?
Welcome to Along for a Spin, our occasional series of collaborative reviews with folks from the local music scene. It includes excerpts from casual chats about new music.
What do you think?
Let us know at tbteditors@tampabay.com